Anadolu Kavagi

Anadolu Kavagi Review

Anadolu Kavagi, at the upper end of the Asian shore, is the final destination on the full Bosphorus cruises. A pretty little fishing village, it gets enough tourists to have a wide range of seafood restaurants, waffle stands, and ice-cream shops. The main attraction is the dramatically situated Byzantine Castle, a 15-minute walk uphill from the village past more restaurants and cafés. The hill was once the site of a temple to Zeus Ourios (god of the favoring winds), which dates back, legend has it, to the days when Jason passed by in search of the Golden Fleece. The castle, built by the Byzantines and expanded by their Genoese allies, is today in a fairly ruined state, but it's worth climbing up to it for the spectacular views over the upper Bosphorus to the blustery Black Sea.